Exuberant enjoyment of life, that’s the lasting imprint Chip Conley(now Head of Hospitality & Strategy at Air BnB) left on his handcrafted brand of boutique hotels “with soul.”

Strategy

Organizing an eclectic collection of hotels that are close in proximity, but different in guest experiences and property names, is a complicated design challenge—let alone keeping JDV's chill vibe intact. So, we developed the explore tool, a way for our guests to self select what the right experience is for them - take a look for yourself.

Creative

We first began with designing a funky interactive site that featured bold, image-filled text, modules that unlocked and split like elevator doors, and scroll-based animations to draw users down the page with delight. Full-page UI elements kept focus and allowed large color-blocked canvases to balance oversized imagery.

Since each hotel needed to retain its individuality, we set up our design files to work with color variables so that each property page perfectly tuned to its own palette. This even extended to programmatically-created palettes for custom Google maps, and made the browsing experience fun and identifiable.

We designed the explore tool to allow guest to select a destination, their travel companions, and their interests. Then we served up suggestions for hotels, specifically highlighting features that mattered to the user. Travelers with kids might learn of a nearby children’s museum while a couple on a romantic getaway could be offered a special spa package.

“The site is based on the idea that so many of our guests are discovery-driven travelers, and every Joie de Vivre hotel has its own story to tell, so it had to feel personal, friendly, playful and approachable.”